Daily News Courier

‘Verizon Selects’ targeted advertising starting this week

Starting this week, Verizon will be rolling out a targeted advertising system it is calling "Verizon Selects." The basic idea is that customers can opt-in (thankfully) to a system that lets Verizon collect and use "location, web browsing and mobile application usage data, as well as other information including customer demographic and interest data" to help target advertisements to you from their partners. The offers can come by way of text message, email or other mobile advertising.

This is the holy grail of advertising for carriers. Being able to offer companies such granular location and usage information means it can charge extra for those advertising placements. It's best handled in this way — with an opt-in system — but is a hard pill to swallow when you're already paying so much for your service every month. Those deals better be pretty darn good to be worth giving up so much personal information.

Source: Verizon News Center

Calculations 4.0 does basic math, converts measurements and currency exchange rates on the fly [App Reviews]

Calculations 4.0 is more than just an app that adds, subtracts, multiplies, and divides. It is a tool that can perform those tasks quickly, but it also is a solid app for quickly grabbing info for information that you commonly plug into a calculator. And it does it with a simple, Ice Cream Sandwich-style user interface that is available to all Android devices running Android 2.1 or higher.

Aside from handling basic math equations, Calculations 4.0 is a clever shortcut for people who travel or need to make quick conversions. The app can provide instant information on measurements, telling users that 500 centimeters is 196.85 inches, 5 meters, and so on. It can also measure area, temperature, volume, weight, and time in metric or imperial units.

Another nifty feature is that Calculations has fairly up-to-date information about currency conversion rates. Users can set their home currency and then select different kinds of currency to know the going rate for exchanging to several countries. So as an America who sometimes needs to send money to Argentina or Jamaica instantly knows how far that money can go. Someone making purchases from Japan or Germany can quickly know that something costing 10,000 yen or 96 euro isn’t that expensive.

Calculations 4.0 is ad-supported and can be a little annoying because the ad placements and flash can be distracting. A Pro version for $0.99 removes ads and allows users to focus on your calculation. Regardless of which version you opt for, you’ll get a great app capable of doing any of the following:

• Add, subtract, multiply, divide
• Convert dozens of currencies using current exchange rates
• Convert various units of measurements
• Calculate mortgage loans for number of payments, monthly costs, and repayment date
• Enter bill to immediately get tip amount at an 8, 12, 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, or 30 percent rate

 

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